George smith duncan



(No Model.)

G. S. DUNCAN. GABLE PULLEY.

No. 462,379. Patented Nov. s, 1891.

HHIHIIIIHIIMIHIIIIIHIIIWW Sli l wauw k UNITED STATES PATENT OEEINCE.

GEORGE SMITII DIINOAN, OF MELBOURNE, VICTORIA.

cABLE-PULLEY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 462,379, dated November3, 1891.

Application filed August 14, 1891. Serial 110.402.682. (No model.)Patented in Victoria March 13. 1890,N0. 7,580; in New South WalesI March15. 1890,No. 2,086; in South Australia June 24,1890,No.1,632; inTasmania June 27,1890,No. 830; in England July 30, 1890,11()I 11,933,and in Queensland October 2, 1890,1Io. 1,047.

T0 all whom, it may concern:

. Beit known that 1, GEORGE SMITH DUN- CAN, civil engineer, a subject ofthe Queen of Great Britain, residing at Melbourne, inmthe BritishGolonyof Victoria, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCable- Itoads and Cable Supports Therefor, (for which I have obtainedLetters Patent in the following British colonies: Victoria, patent datedMarch 13, 1890, No. 7,580; New South lVales, patent dated March 15,1890,No. 2,080; Queensland, patent dated October 2, 1890, No. 1,047 5 SouthAustralia, patent dated June 2i, 1890, No. 1,632; Tasmania, patent datedJune 27,1890,No. S30; also in Great Britain, patent dated July30,1S90,No. 11,033 5) and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to lettersof reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The invention relates to the construction of cable roads, and has forits object a reduction of the cost of construction and working expensesby lessening the depth of the subway for the cable, band by providing1 ayielding support for the cable itself.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction of the subwayand in that of the cable-supports, as will now be fully described,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa cross-sectional view of a cableroad constructed according to myinvention. Figs. 2, 3, and 4 are side and front elevations and a topplan view, respectively, of my improved cable-support.

Like letters of reference indicate like parts wherever such may occur inthe above-described figures of drawings.

In the construction of cable roads, so far as I have a knowledgethereof, Ithe sheaves or pulleys, from which the cable is supported whennot gripped by the cable-grip, are mounted in suitable bearings in thecableconduit. This necessitates a conduit of proper depth for thesheaves or pulleys and for the operation of the grip, and this depth ofconduit is greatly increased when the sheaves are supported fromweighted levers or other yielding supports.

In order to obviate the increased cost of deep conduits for the cableand also to provide for a more effectual drainage of said conduit, Iconstruct at suitable distances from one another sheave and drainagechambers C, Fig. 1, said chambers being of the necessary depth toreceive the supporting-sheaves, so that the bearing-face thereof willproject into the cable-conduit O to properly support the cable. It isobvious that by this means the cable-conduit proper C may becomparatively shallow and narrow. In fact the depth and width of theconduit need not be greater than necessary for the passage of the cableC2 and the reception and operation of the cablegrip, in addition to thesmall space required to allow the cable-supporting sheaves S to projectsufiicient-ly into the conduit to properlysupport the cable C2. I amthus enabled to reduce the dimensions of the conduit to a minimum,

The chambers C themselves are comparatively narrow, access being hadthereto through suitable openings in the road-bed for the purpose oflubricating the carriersheaves and for other purposes. The floor ofthese chambers is inclined toward one side, and at the lowest point isarranged a drainage-pipe I), which maybe connected with a drainage-pipecommon to all the chambers C, and the latter pipe with asewer, or saiddrainage pipes 1 may be connected directly with a sewer, as found mostconvenient.

It will be observed that on level stretches of road but a very slightfall or inclination of the cable-conduit will suiiice to eifectually andthoroughly drain the same, andinasmuell as the carrier-sheaves aresupported at some elevation from the ['loor of the drainage-chambers,even in very heavy rains, the water cannot rise to their bearings, sothat rubbish cannot clog said bearings and render the sheavesinoperative or injure the same, as is frequently the case when thesheaves are arranged in the cable-conduit itself.

the Weighted lever.

In order to lessen the depth of the drainage-chambers to a minimum, Ihave devised a sheave-support that is of comparatively small height, andin order to allow the grip to freely ride over said sheaves I mount thesame in a yielding support, preferably a Weighted lever, the weight ofwhich is suiiicient to maintain them in a normal position and carry theweight of the cable, but to yield or be depressed when the gripislowered sufficiently to contact with the sheave or with By means of thisconstruction I am also enabled to lessen the height to which it is nownecessary to raise the cable by the cable-grip in order that the lattermay pass over the carrier-sheaves and, consequently, the depth of thecable-conduit. In practice the sheaves are so arranged that when thegrip has picked up-the cable and grips it the lower gripping-jaw willjust clear the sheaves, but will contact therewith when lowered torelease the cable in order to decrease the depth of the cable-conduit,and as this motion of the grip is a comparatively limited one I amenabled to lessen the depth of the conduit very materially. i

The sheave-supports comprise a stand S, in the cheeks s of which areformed bearings for the supporting-lever L, one end of which is forked,the arms l Z of said forked end being provided with bearings for' thejournal or spindle of the sheave S. In rear of its forked portion thelever is bent downwardly at right angles, thence extending horizontally,

srs

the horizontal rear arm being weighted sufficiently to counterbalancethe sheave S and the weight of the cable C2. In order that the sheavemay be accurately positioned relatively to the cable, I provide anabutment s', adjustable on the base s2 of the stand S by means of aset-screw s3, Fig. 2, so that the position of the sheave may beregulated with great nicety.

To one of the arms Z of the carrier end of lever L is secured aguide-bar B, that has its upper faces inclined in reverse directions,the front inclined face b projecting some distance in front of thesheave S', while the point of greatest elevation of the two inclines isabout on the vertical diametrical line of the sheave and sufiicientlyabove its periphery, so that the lower gri p-j aw, as it rides over thefront incline and before reaching the highest point thereof, willdepress the lever with the sheave, and on reaching said highest point,as b', said lower grip -jaw will clear the sheave. In other words, thereverselyinclined faces of the bar B are'simply continuations of acurvilinear or convex portion, the segment of which is an arc of acircle greater than that of the periphery of the wheel, so that thelower jaw of the grip can under no circumstances come in contact withsaid sheave when said jaw is provided with proper means to co-operatewith the bar B. The

'bearings for the lever-journals, as well as tion when gripping thecable, said grip being' provided with a laterally-projecting arm g, asdescribed in my application for Letters Patent, Serial No. 363,046,filed August 25, 1890,

which arm g, when the lower j aw j is lowered to release the cable C2,will contact with the arm B and depress the supporting-lever L, as abovedescribed.

Instead of supporting the sheave from a balanced lever, the bearings forsaid sheave may be supported from coiled or other springs, in which casethe arm B will be connected with such bearings, and instead of the leverbeing weighted its rear arm Z may be held in a normal position by thestress of a spring, as will be readily understood by any skilledmechanic.

I am aware that it is not new to mount the cable-supporting sheaves forcable roads on a counterbalanced lever, and I do not desire to claimthis construction, broadly; but

What I do claim isl.A In a cable road, the combination, with thecable-conduit C and chamber C, of a cable-support consisting of a stand,a weighted lever journaled in said stand, said lever being forked at itsouter end and having journal-bearings formed in the arms 0f the fork,and a cable-carrier sheave journaled in said arms, so that itscarrying-face will project slightly above the lowest point of thecableconduit, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a cable road, the combination, with the cable-conduit C andchamber C,'ot` a cable-support consisting of a stand, a weighted leverjournaled in said stand, said lever being forked at its outer end andhaving journal-bearings formed in the arms of the fork, a cable-carriersheave j ournaled in said arms, so that the carrying-face will projectslightly above the lowest point of the cable-conduit, andan adjustingdevice for adjusting the position of the sheave relatively to theconduit, for the purpose set forth.

3. In a cable road, the combination, with the cable-conduit O' and thechamber C, of a cable-support, consisting of the stand S, the weightedangle-lever L, journaled therein, the sheave S', journaled in the forkedend of said lever, said support being arranged relativelyto thecable-conduit to maintain the sheave in a position so thatitscarrying-facewill be slightly above the lowest point of said conduit,and an adjusting device for adj nsting the position IOO IIO

of' the sheave relatively tov the conduit, for verse incline B, arrangedon the lever on one the purpose set fort-h. side of the sheave, for thepurpose set forth.

4. The combination of the stand S, pro- 1 r n T l vided with anadjustable abutment of the @ORGE SMUH DUB CAN' Weighted angle-lever L,the Weighted end of Xlfitnesses: which has bearing on Said abutment, theROBERT SEYMOUR VVALPOLE, sheave S', journaled in said lever, and the re-JAMES ALEXANDER MoINDoE.

